Vestor Capital LLC Sells 27,084 Shares of The Clorox Company $CLX

Key Points

• Vestor Capital cut its Clorox stake by 97% in the first quarter, selling 27,084 shares and retaining 850 shares valued at approximately $88,000. Institutional investors collectively own 78.53% of Clorox.
• Analysts remain cautious, with recent price-target reductions and ratings ranging from “hold” to “underweight.” MarketBeat reports a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $101.
• Clorox reported quarterly EPS of $1.64, exceeding estimates of $1.55, while revenue of $1.67 billion matched expectations. The stock recently opened at $95.66, near its 50-day moving average and well below its 12-month high of $128.90.

Vestor Capital LLC decreased its holdings in The Clorox Company (NYSE:CLX - Free Report) by 97.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 850 shares of the company's stock after selling 27,084 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC's holdings in Clorox were worth $88,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Clorox by 3.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 8,434,277 shares of the company's stock worth $1,039,946,000 after purchasing an additional 282,794 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Clorox by 22.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,880,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,085,000 after buying an additional 884,751 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,172,233 shares of the company's stock valued at $318,613,000 after buying an additional 10,060 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in shares of Clorox by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,136,405 shares of the company's stock valued at $316,244,000 after buying an additional 426,433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP lifted its position in Clorox by 33.8% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 1,740,175 shares of the company's stock worth $214,564,000 after buying an additional 439,797 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.53% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Clorox

In other Clorox news, Director Pierre R. Breber purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was bought at an average price of $85.82 per share, for a total transaction of $429,100.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,544,760. This represents a 38.46% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.63% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. BNP Paribas Exane decreased their price objective on shares of Clorox from $97.00 to $95.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Clorox from $95.00 to $92.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $94.00 target price on shares of Clorox in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Clorox in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Clorox from $110.00 to $97.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Clorox presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $101.00.

Clorox Price Performance

Shares of CLX stock opened at $95.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $11.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.53 and a beta of 0.54. The Clorox Company has a 12 month low of $84.70 and a 12 month high of $128.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.03. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $95.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.67.

Clorox (NYSE:CLX - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported $1.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.55 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.67 billion. Clorox had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 443.64%. The company's revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.45 EPS. Research analysts expect that The Clorox Company will post 5.52 EPS for the current year.

Clorox Profile

The Clorox Company is a leading manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products designed to help people care for their homes and live healthy, sustainable lives. Its portfolio spans cleaning and household products, food and beverages, water filtration systems and cat litter, serving both retail and institutional customers. The company's flagship bleach and disinfecting products are well known in the United States and many international markets, where they help prevent the spread of germs in homes, hospitals, schools and businesses.

Clorox's diverse brand lineup includes liquid bleach and surface cleaners, eco-friendly cleaning tools, food preservation and preparation items, charcoal grills and briquettes, specialty foods and beverages, pet care products and personal care lines.

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